Masking tapes are commonly used in refinish painting operations. Such operations include painting or sealing a surface, as well as sanding or otherwise preparing the surface for painting. The term painting as used throughout this specification is meant to include the application of paints by spraying or other application by brushes, rollers, etc. and other similar treatments including the application of any substance to a surface of which part of the surface is to be treated while a part is masked from the treatment. The term refinishing is meant to include the painting, sanding, or otherwise preparing of any surface of which a portion requires painting. Typically, this means a surface which has been previously painted.
Refinishing operations are very often conducted on walls, vehicles bodies and the like which may include moldings or gaskets that must be masked off before painting. It is highly desirable to effectively mask such molding or gasket, but to ensure complete refinishing to the edge of and preferably even under the molding or gasket if possible. It is known to mask such moldings or gaskets with conventional paper masking tapes. However, simply masking along the edge of the molding or gasket does nothing to improve refinishing under the molding or gasket. The surface preparation and paint coverage extends only up to the edge of the masking material. Such coverage is not comparable to that which could be obtained if the molding or gasket were removed prior to the painting as an alternative. Moreover, paint tends to build up along the edge of the masking tape, either on the molding itself or on the panel, and after the tape is removed, a paint ridge is often left behind which is particularly susceptible to cracking or chipping.
It is thus desirable to prepare and get at least some paint coverage under at least a portion of the edge of the molding or gasket that is masked off. One method of taping and a tool for applying such a masking tape is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,935,758, granted Feb. 3, 1976 to Polzin et al. According to this disclosure, a typical masking tape is applied by the special tool so as to at least partially wrap around the edge and underneath of body side moldings on vehicle bodies. The problem with this approach is that even with a special tool, it is difficult to adhere the adhesive tape under any portion of a molding or the like that is attached to a panel. This problem is exasperated if the clearance between the molding and the body panel is minimal.
With regard to gaskets, specifically, as they are provided along vehicle body panels, it has been suggested to insert an elongate element under the gasket portion and on top of the body panel for lifting and keeping the gasket material away from the body panel at least over a portion of the extent that the gasket overlies the body panel. Such elongate element is inserted far enough under the gasket edge so that at least a portion of the body panel thereunder is exposed to be painted.
Many such insertion elements have been developed. Most notably, cords, cables, wires and other strips are presently available which are made for insertion under the overlapping portion of such a flexible gasket and to lay upon the body panel. Such cords, cables, wires and strips effectively lift the overlying portion of the gasket material from the body panel permitting refinishing partially underneath of the gasket; however, the gaskets themselves must be additionally masked. Moreover, a problem with such devices is that the paint builds up against the edge thereof and leaves a ridge after the device is removed. This ridge has proved to be susceptible to cracks and chips which may extend out from under the gasket.
One example of a plastic cable which is inserted under the edge of a gasket to lift it from a car body panel for refinishing is available from Tru-Mask Products, Inc of Garfield, N.J. and is known as the Follex.RTM. System. Further examples of similar strings, wiring cords or enameled wires are described in the published Japanese Patent Application 47-18930, published September 1972.
Further in regard to the masking of flexible gaskets, yet another type of masking product has been developed which moves and masks a gasket in a single operation. Such a masking product is described in the published PCT Application EP/92/01021 to Ribic. The Ribic masking device comprises a strip of material divided longitudinally into two leg portions so that the strip makes a long claw or hook-like structure. The hook leg of the structure is non-adhesive and is provided to hook over the gasket or a portion thereof and the other leg is provided with adhesive for adhering the strip to the article to be masked off, such as a window. This product relies on the structural integrity of the device and the maintenance of the legs in their angled positions with respect to one another in order to work. In other words, the profile of the masking product must maintain a certain rigidity of its own in order to be able to provide its hooking function.
Another class of masking products that are specially designed for masking areas adjacent to areas to be painted, are those which are used for feathering or blending new paint with the old paint along the masked line. Typically, such a masking product comprises an adhesive tape having a longitudinal edge portion thereof which is non-adhesive. The masking tape is then applied adjacent to an area to be refinished with the non-adhesive portion closest to the area to be refinished. As the paint is sprayed along the feathering tape, the non-adhesive portion causes the new paint to be feathered or blended with the old along the surface underneath the non-adhesive portion. Such masking tapes and dispensers are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,341,828, granted Jul. 27, 1982 to Stephens, and 4,576,674, granted Mar. 18, 1986 to Le Tarte. The non-adhesive longitudinal edge can be provided by simply not coating that edge portion with adhesive during the manufacturing operation, or by rendering that portion non-adhesive by applying a strip of material over the adhesive along the edge of the tape. The latter may be performed by simply folding over a longitudinal edge of the tape onto itself on the adhesive side of a conventional masking tape.